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- Consultants need to grow their soft skills, and books can be a valuable resource.
- Consulting experts and business school professors shared their go-to reads for leadership and managing advice with Business Insider.
- Titles range from a 90s classic, "The McKinsey Way," by Ethan M. Rasiel to "Never Split the Difference" by Chris Voss, a former international hostage negotiator for the FBI who shared tips on how to get through to anyone.
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Management consultants are essentially business doctors because large companies rely on them to help fix complex problems.
Consultants specializes in advising leaders to make smarter money and business decisions. They usually have a knack for diagnosing company strengths and weaknesses on the fly. Apart from the high salaries and prestige, consultants spend their days collaborating with teams, negotiating with high-profile clients, and solving complex problems. Most of their skills are mastered through business school and rigorous training from elite firms but there are some skills management consultants can learn and develop from books.
Business Insider has compiled a list of books recommended by MBA graduates, business school professors, and former consultants. This wide-ranged reading list gives tools for problem solving and persuasion, teaches the impact of different management styles, and informs you on what you're expected to know.
Here are 18 books you should read if you want pursue a management consulting career.